Crusaders of love and lust
by Tsukiria
Summary: Sister Rosette and her assistant,Chrno,are outstanding members of the order.They are able to subdue every demon in their way,no matter how fierce a struggle is put up.However,will they fair as well in dealing with their forbidden emotions for each other?
1. His sin

Crusaders of love and lust – His sin

A/N: We-ell...This fic is actually for my friend-Riviea! Its her b'dae this month, and I want to dedicate a fic for her...again...but for a different reason! Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this fic no matter who its dedicated to, although I must say, it may not be quite up to standard cuz' I am using a new writing style...And also,can you folks tell me what I should classify this fic under? I don't think it is suited under tradegy no matter how hard I try to make it seem so ...

* * *

_It hurt…too much…so much…_

"Oh Mary," he whispered, his face screwed up with sorrow, clearly troubled.

"What should I do?"

Reaching out hesitantly, the figure allowed his fingertips to barely brush against the surface of the concrete statue before withdrawing, recoiling with emotional pain. The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the dusty windows of the chapel, streaming into the room, engulfing the occupant with their faint brightness. With dim light cast upon his face, his facial features became known.

Dark wine-coloured hair was pulled back into a long plait, ending off nicely with a bright, yellow ribbon tied securely. Hellish crimson orbs spoke of centuries-old wisdom and knowledge, hiding a myriad of emotions behind.

And it was then that her name escaped from him with a forlorn sigh as he let his guard down-

_"Rosette…"_

As soon as her name passed his lips, an indescribable thrill shot up his spine, his heart started thumping wildly, a brilliant shade of magenta spread across his cheeks…and…

_It scared him._

For the truth had writhed itself into his heart as though it was a lance. It penetrated into the very depths of his demonic soul as the cruelty and angst of it sounded in his ears…

_**We can never be together.**_

_It hurts! Too much…too much!_

It was as though the heavens were wrenched apart, a flash of lightning streaked across the dark firmament, followed closely by thick, pearly rain drops falling from above as the sky wept for the sinner's sin.

A gush, a stream, a positive raging torrent of emotions burst forth from within him as a family of hedgehogs sought residence behind his blazing vermilion eyes.

The agony was too much to bear, for the onslaught of so many feelings all at once was way beyond the limit, even for a demon.

With suppressed sobs shaking his entire body, he dashed out of the blessed room and into the torrential storm, the reason behind the crystalline substance dripping from the angle of his jaw being not only the rain…

_**Rosette…**_


	2. Her pain

Crusaders of love and lust – Her pain

* * *

The glistening drops of rain which tore down to Earth from above beat down eagerly on the sinner's tanned back as he dashed across the grounds of the Order. His vision blinded by a fresh bought of tears, he ran, without having the slightest clue of his surroundings and going wherever his legs brought him to.

And the fact that Destiny made it so that they brought him to the source of his agony marked the gods' displeasure.

He burst through the door of the blonde exorcist's room, gradually slowing in his tracks as he stared, through a mist of startled tears, in horror down at the sleeping face of his contractor.

_Rosette…_

A twitch, a frown, the fluttering of inky eyelashes as cerulean orbs blinked open; followed by the moaning of bedsprings as the Sister struggled to sit up, rubbing her eyes wearily. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight which welcomed her.

"Oh jeez, Chrno, couldn't you have waited till…"

Her unfinished sentence laid hanging in the air as pools of navy widened in disbelief and surprise at the sight of the sticky, glistening liquid dripping from his face. Blinking the haziness away from his eyes, seeing his contractor slipping out of bed, reaching out to him in concern, Chrno became tearful once more, and indicated with the sobbing urgency of a frightened child that he, too, wanted to be held and comforted like a human baby.

At the sight of his tear-stricken face, Rosette felt the full weight of his pain and heard his sobs, irrepressible streaming forth.

It was the crying of an impossibly racked heart…

Yet, within the constant flow of sorrow and helplessness she felt for her friend, there was a twinge of jealousy. For the demon rarely, or at all, shed tears and what made him do so must be of utmost importance to him. So what…?

In that very instant she thought along those lines, a vision flashed before her eyes.

A vision of a woman with long golden hair and sky-blue eyes…

_Mary Magdalene._

It was as though someone had twisted a sickening dagger into her gut, making her suffer in her own private hell of forbidden emotions. Her vision smeared as tears threatened to fall from her azure orbs. Her chest tightened as sorrow rose and choked at her throat. Yet, she knew, that no matter how much it hurt for her, she should not be of the first priority now.

Biting back a sob, the holy saint pulled her demon companion to her, wrapping her petite arms around him. As he clung to her in the darkness, she pressed him closer to her with greater tenderness and ardor than she had ever given, or he had ever received. In a soft wash of tears, Chrno gave an anguished cry, weeping into Rosette's shoulder, tightening his grip around her waist in desperation for more comfort, wanting nothing better than to purge the internal war raging within him.

It was then that emotions unfurled and intertwined with the nun's heart, welling up as quickly as the tears in her eyes. The sobs she had suppressed refused to be beaten, and, at long last, she gave in to the fierce struggle and felt immense sorrow pierce through her spiritual heart.

As the teen's eyelids drooped to a close, brows knitted in despondency, two crystalline drops fell to the floor, side by side, in unison.

_Let us pull through this…together…

* * *

_

A/N: Augh! This is finally completed! I was so happy when I saw I had 4 reviews…I almost cried tears of joy…Thank you those who reviewed! (Happy dance)


	3. Rays of the rising Sun

Crusaders of love and lust – Rays of the rising sun

* * *

"Rosette, Chrno-san!" sang Azmaria, her voice bubbling with childish innocence. Her snow-white hair which cascaded down her shoulders was sent bouncing as she skipped along the corridor.

"Rosette," the albino called in a dulcet tone of voice as she reached her destination. "Sister Kate would like to see you in her…"

As her sentence trailed away into nothingness, violet eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she turned the knob to the saint's room; only to be met with a sight which sent her spluttering, face boiling red.

Just as her mind was in a frenzy, a familiar oh so silky voice came from behind her, momentarily halting her heartbeat and causing her to almost jump out of her skin.

"Looking for Rosette, Azmaria?" queried Father Remington, chuckling slightly.

"Knowing her, she's probably still in bed now, eh?"

The twelve-year-old glanced up at the priest who gave her a warm smile in return as he pressed his palm against the polished surface of the door, pushing the gap open wider for both to enter.

"Ah…C-chotto matte, Father Remington! R-rosette…s-she-!" stuttered the apostle, waving her arms frantically as a deep blush spread across her cheeks.

However, either it was on purpose or he was really innocently ignorant, the Father was deaf to all the albino's stammering and blind to the fact that she had already bypassed red and was flushing maroon. The blond placed a hand on the angel's shoulder and steered her into the room-

Only to have his ocean-blue eyes widened in shock at what lay before him.

Burrowed under the covers comfortably and under a mess of tangled limbs, Chrno, who had his face wet with tears the night before, now had his nose nuzzled against the crook of his contractor's neck, snoring slightly. With the soothing warmth of hers tempting him, he had, in response, drawn closer, and his violet locks now lay in a soft mix with Rosette's sunshine coloured hair.

Both were peacefully asleep, and both blissfully unaware of their unwanted audience. Sadly, the worse was yet to come.

The rays of the rising Sun shone through the fluffy magnolia white clouds and through the curtains hanging by the windows of the nun's bedroom. With the dazzling light blinding Rosette's cerulean eyes, she screwed her face up in pain, before blinking her eyes open groggily.

The fog which had resided in front of her vision faded as the figures before her swarm into focus. The blonde exorcist sat up and stared at the Father and the apostle through half-lidded eyes. In that few moments, tense, awkward silence had settled between them. Then-

"Mornin' Father Remington, Azmaria," muttered Rosette in a sleepy murmur, falling back down onto bed, yearning to return back to her source of warmth under the blankets.

It took her a fair few more seconds to fully register her current situation.

Giving a surprised squeal, she jerked apart from the child-like demon in a fluster, her cheeks flaming scarlet. Unfortunately, as she hastily made to scramble away from her partner, she had clean forgotten about the fact that she had her hand firmly clasped around Chrno's loose braid. Thus…

"Yeoooooow!"

Chrno's agonized cries marked the start of a new day.

* * *

As his screams reached her sensitive ears, her pink lips pulled into a triumph smile.

"Oh yes…he certainly is special…After all, it isn't everyday that you get to see a demon who can feel…not to mention love…" she whispered, her cold fingers wrapping around the warm cup of coffee on her lap.

"Ah," said the Elder as he shifted his gaze to hover on the delicate profile before him.

"But aren't you a servant of the devil as well?"

"That may be so," she replied, her emotionless smile widening to reveal a glint of pointed fangs as she tucked a stray wisp of platinum hair behind a tufted ear.

"But my blood is tainted by the Lord as well."


	4. My warning to you

Crusaders of love and lust – My warning to you

A/N: Hi! I'm back again! Sorry for the looong update…I've been busy adapting to a Christian School life…And I was busy trying to finish sketching a picture Rosette & Chrno to post on ' go by the name 'Tsukiria' there too!)…And I am now officially addicted to the song played in the only clip on ' about the Chrno Crusade anime…You guys should go watch too! I found it hilarious…I coulda sworn I was rolling on the floor of my school library…I also bought the whole set of Chrno Crusade anime CDs…::Hums::

* * *

Running her fingers through the silky strands of violet, she smiled as the child-like demon let out a purr of content. This was so much like the old times, she mused to herself, picking up the brush lying beside her.

_So much like the old times…_

She remembered the first time she braided his hair for him… he had pouted, whined, protested, refused, yet…

That bright yellow ribbon binding his hair never did once leave its place; that very thought still made the ends of her lips lift unconsciously.

_Hang on_, whispered the voice in her head. The brush in her hand hovered above the lavender mass as it halted in midair. Why did she have this nagging feeling gnawing at the back of his mind? Something important…something Azmaria said when she barged into the room…something about…

_Holy. _

_Crap._

"Chrno!" she shrieked, so suddenly that her partner jumped about a mile in the air before turning sharply to face his contractor, his undone locks of amethyst whipping about him like a halo. Before he could do anything else, however, Rosette grabbed his shoulders and his vision soon became nothing more than a blur due to her shaking.

"Chrno! How long ago was it when Azmaria told us to go to Sister Kate's office?!" she screeched in his face, leaving Chrno to gape at the colour draining from his contractor's face rapidly.

"Ummm…" he mumbled, racking his brains to remember.

"About more than half an hour ago…why?"

"…"

"…"

Registering information… Data downloaded. Beep!

"$#1T!"

One could have sworn it wasn't a nun and her partner but two colourful streaks of lightning whizzing past them.

* * *

He threw a suspicious glance at the figure sitting before him, sipping daintily at her tea. His eyes still fixed upon her, he lifted his own cup and brought the sweet concoction to his own lips. The head nun sitting at her desk had her hands clasped before her, her uncertain gaze flitting from the priest to the 'child'.

The silence stretched on, and it would have continued if it weren't for the albino's question.

An outrageous question which caused the Father to choke at its abruptness.

"Is it necessary for the nuns in this convent to be virgins?"

The other two occupants of the room only stared, and made no heed acknowledge her query.

"Is it?" she probed on, her obsidian eyes glinting.

"What if they were to lose their virginity? And-"

"And why," interrupted Sister Kate, her face muscles going into spasm, "would you want to know?"

She smirked, flicking a lock of silver casually behind her shoulder.

"That girl, Rosette Christopher…"

Her smile broadened in victory as all the attention at once snapped to her.

"She's sixteen now, no? D'you know what that means? "

When her question was met with only silence, she took up the honour of supplying the answer to her own enquiry. She bowed her head and glared at them through her curtains of platinum, her ameyst eyes flashing a hellish crimson for a moment.

"Breeding age."

She rose from her seat and slowly paced about the room, her teacup laying forgotten on the coffee table.

"She's undergoing changes everyday, every moment. Of course, these changes cannot be seen by the naked eye. However, bear in mind that…" her eyes bled scarlet once more.

"A demon has senses far more acute than any humans', and although the Sinner may be a little slow on the uptake, considering the fact that he is always around her, you can have my head if he hasn't caught a whiff of Rosette's scent of fertility and has flames of the sexual fire building up within him."

Sister Kate's shocked gasp was drowned by the clatter of a china teacup against the floor.

"You mean," a shaking hand rose to clap over ghostly pale lips, "you think-?"

"I don't _think_ so," she cut in, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, her hand reaching up to push up the pair of half-moon glasses resting upon her nose.

The spectacles glinted maliciously under the light.

"I _know_ so."

BAM

The door slammed open to reveal the duo in question, panting and heaving for breath. Talk about speaking of the devil… in ways more than one even.

Chrno immediately sensed the many pairs of eyes upon him and he shifted uncomfortably under their 'fierce' gaze.

"Erm," he began unsurely, scratching his cheek with a clawed finger idly, "was it something I did?"

Sister Kate was the first of the three to regain her composure. Then, as though she had suddenly remembered something, an unreadable expression flickered on her face. Her gaze narrowed into a glare, and a certain saint gave a yelp of fright, diving behind the Sinner for cover.

"I asked for you more than half an hour ago," the head nun whispered, her voice ominously soft.

Then, without warning, she slammed her hands on her desk with so much force that the various objects resting upon it were sent flying.

"Where were you!?" she roared, a large vein twitching dangerously at her temple.

Rosette cowered in terror, trembling slightly, literally using the Sinner as a human, well, more like a 'demon' shield.

"Now, now, Sister Kate," came the sweet voice of the albino, and she stepped swiftly between the infuriated nun and the terrified duo huddling together, acting as a barrier.

The said nun seemed to calm down at the sight of the outsider and remembered the purpose of her summoning the two professional exorcists of the Order. In a business-like tone, she spoke, giving a casual flick of the hand towards the albino.

"This is Astral. Due to certain circumstances, she has been placed under the supervision of the Order. You are to keep an eye on her and - "

"Now just wait a darn picking minute – " Rosette began, her vivacious personality returning to her as she attempted to express her disapproval, only to be cut in as rudely as Sister Kate had been by her.

" – Please bear in mind that she is not allowed to wander out of the Order's premises without permission," Sister Kate pressed on, her voice rising and her tone more harsh.

She shot Rosette a murderous glare, as though giving a warning, before continuing.

"As for why you were chosen out of the many others, it would be because you were the ideal choice, given that you have had the most interactions with demons and such, and would know how to handle them more expertly than the others."

Realisation struck her like lightning.

"What?!" the blonde screamed, unable to believe her ears. Jabbing an accusing finger at Astral who raised a rather amused eyebrow, she shrieked," She's-! She's a-?!"

Astral took a step towards the flustered nun and her comrade calmly, and, with one graceful movement, swiped the cap which lay upon her head off. With one arm tucked behind her, she gave a polite bow.

"Salutations, Miss Christopher. And of course…," she raised her head, her unfeeling orbs reflecting a shade of brilliant scarlet.

"Sinner…"

She gave a smirk and Chrno felt himself shudder against his will as a sudden surge of demonic aura flare past him, vanishing without a trace as quickly as it had appeared.

And that wasn't the only thing which freaked him out.

_That girl…has holy power molded together with that dark aura…_

He cast a wary frown at her.

_Just what…is she?_


	5. Memory etched forever

Crusaders of love and lust –

A/N: Oh yeah…Have any of you noticed who Astral looks like? No? Well, for one, she has long platinum hair, purple eyes, and elfish ears… and wears half-moon glasses…Ring a bell? How 'bout if I added a white coat? Still no impression? Heh. What if I told you to think SINNER?

* * *

"Darn it! Sister Kate is too much! That ugly old hag…"

Muttering, Sister Rosette cussed under her breath, striding across the corridors with Chrno and her newly-found 'ally' hurrying after her.

Then, without warning, the exorcist halted dead in her tracks, causing an unsuspecting Chrno to walk straight into her and fall onto his back, groaning. Ignoring her comrade, the sister spun around to face the albino, an uncertain expression lacing her features.

"Are you…really a demon?"

A look of boredom crossing her face, Astral used a hand to pull at her mouth, flashing her fangs at the Sister as an answer. It seemed to have satisfied Rosette, for she had then proceeded to help the violet-haired demon up, only then noticing the amused flicker in Astral's eyes.

"What?" she exclaimed, as though trying to defend herself upon spotting the girl eyeing Chrno's back in interest.

Her wine-coloured eyes resting on the messy locks of amethyst, Astral replied slowly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Were you in the midst of something before you came?" questioned the fair-haired one lightly, prodding at Chrno's half-done braid. "Coz' you look like you just got out of bed…And if I remember correctly, this is far from being the latest fashion."

"Eh? What-?" Rosette's gaze fell upon her unfinished task.

"Ah!" the blonde exorcist cried, flailing her arms in embarrassment.

"Summimasen, Chrno! I completely forgot all about it! I - "

"You know," interrupted Astral, looking as though she was musing to herself absent-mindedly, " It's already rather late in the afternoon, and I happen to know that they are serving hamburgers…"

Her sentence trailed away into nothingness as a human tornado tore past her, causing the hair of 'innocent bystanders' to get strewed all over the place and sending dust flying in its wake.

The Sinner's bottom eyelid twitched.

Chrno, with his hair now untidier than it had ever been, turned around and shot the other demon an incredulous look, using tremendous effort to put his raging desire to strangle the sly devil beside him in check.

In a strained voice, he poised a rhetorical question, "You planned all that, didn't you?"

She simply shrugged.

* * *

Rosette shoveled the mouth-watering hamburgers into her mouth eagerly, attacking the food with such vengeance that one could have sworn it was her worst enemy, not her greatest love. Chrno, who had a hand running through his uncompleted tresses in an attempt to make it neater, had his cheek resting against his palm. He avoided anyone's gaze determinedly, more in embarrassment than anything else. Astral, on the other hand, looked extremely entertained as she watched Rosette gobbling down those burgers.

"Rosetto, Chrno-san!" greeted Azmaria cheerily upon spotting her friends from a distance, only to have her voice to falter when her gaze rested on the stranger as she approached the table.Sensing another's presence, the 'new addition of the team' looked up and, as though reading the apostle's mind, introduced herself briefly.

Azmaria, though rather naïve and innocent at times, could at once see the child before her for what she was, and uncomfortable silence settled between them. Even Rosette, who, a moment before, had been indulging in the sin of gluttony, stopped chewing on her food to glance between the two very different beings.

Knowing better than to try to whip up a fruitless conversation between them, Astral at once got up from her seat and marched off towards God knows where.

"Oi!" Rosette managed to choke out between her mouthful of meat and bread, "Where are'ya goin'?"

Without even bothering to turn around, Astral waved farewell to, it seemed, no one in particular.

…

"Now that," muttered Rosette under her breath and returning her attention to her food, "was weird."

It was only after a few moments of stillness that Chrno's breath got hitched in his throat upon realizing what just happened.

"Chrno?" voiced Azmaria in concern, reaching out to place a palm on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Gulping, the said demon turned to face his contractor, a look of horror etched on his face.

"Do you think… Astral might have actually, by some way, snuck out of the Order's premises _without permission_?"

It took a few minutes for Rosette's brain to assimilate Chrno's words. And when she did, an expression similar to Chrno's appeared on her face as a certain thought came to mind_: Sister Kate is going to KILL me._

"Damn it!"

* * *

Clutching at her temples, Rosette groaned in defeat. Just _where _did that godforsaken demon go to anyway?

His brows furrowed in concentration, Chrno searched his brain for another possibility of where Astral could have gone to as Azmaria wrung her hands nervously. How could they have been so careless? They had searched the entire Order for her, and yet there was no sign of that… that demon! The only place they hadn't gone to would be… would be…

_Elder's shed?_

As Lady Luck would have had it, they were standing right in front of the door of the accursed shack. All three simultaneously smacked a hand to their foreheads in exasperation at their own stupidity.

God simply loves to make a sport out of man, doesn't he?

Rosette, her brows twitching involuntarily, at once kicked open the door of Elder's hut, ready to beat the tar out of a particular demon which made her and her friends go through a whole lot of trouble.

What she didn't expect would be to have her heart to resign from its post of pumping blood momentarily as it dawned on her that the back of the person Elder was with was very familiar.

_All so familiar…_

Those pale locks tied into a long ponytail, that sickeningly spotless white coat draped over those shoulders, that pair of long, tufted ears…

Her insides seemed to freeze as the person looked over 'his' shoulder. And upon seeing those cold, violet orbs, the suppressed rage within her broke free before Chrno could stop her.

With a sudden cry of "Aion!", Rosette had instinctively pounced onto the poor being whose eyes had widened somewhat in shock at the sudden assailant who had tackled 'him' to the ground. In the middle of her heated wrestling match with the individual, however, a sudden thought wriggled its way into the blonde exorcist's mind.

_THIS WASN'T AION._

Immediately, Rosette (wisely) halted dead in her movements to glance down at the features of the one pinned down beneath her. She blinked in rapid succession as she finally noted the many deliberate mistakes which deemed the person as another individual from Aion.

For example…

_When did_ Aion _get so small?_

And…

_When was_ Aion _this fair?_

And also…

Rosette gulped as her gaze traveled down to the warm lump underneath her palm as Chrno groaned at his contractor's rashness and as Elder and Azmaria went into horrifying alarm.

_Since when did _AION _have busts?!_

The teen shifted her gaze nervously to look at the expression on Astral's face.

Heck, if looks could kill, this one would be in high demand.

Suffocating silence seemed to fill the air as Astral's hands balled into fists and as her obsidian orbs captured Rosette's sapphire ones into a withering glare.

"You," she hissed in a deadly whisper, her usually smooth platinum hair seeming to crackle with electricity.

"Are WORSE than dead."

The screams and shouts which soon followed after shattered the peacefulness of the Order like glass, leaving the other occupants of the convent to ask themselves: "What in the name of the Holy Spirit just happened?"

Wouldn't THEY like to know.

* * *

A/N: The story seems to be drifting further and further away from the original plot…::Grins:: many thanks to Riviea for that ingenious idea of the bust-touching incident! I'm eeeeviiil… 


	6. Undercover

Crusaders of love and lust – Undercover

A/N: Schoolwork, project work, homework, schoolwork, project work, homework…::Groans and sprawls over the keyboard:: Someone kill me…

* * *

"Sister Rosette!" cried the flustered nun, tearing across the grassy fields as fast as her legs could carry her, sending her blue habit flapping against her legs as she went. Sweat poured down her face profusely, even as she burst through the wooden door of Elder's hut. So intent was she on finding the Sister that she almost missed to grasp the situation before her.

"Sister Rosette! Sister Rosette! Sister – what in the world is going on here?!"

Astral, with her senses far more acute than any humans', had heard the pattering of footsteps a mile away and quickly leapt off the blonde, dusting her hands, looking extremely innocent. Poor Rosette was left whimpering on the floor, tenderly nursing a bump on her abused head.

The bewildered nun shoved her curiosity to the back of her mind and blurted out the message she had been sent to convey, "Sister Kate wants the four of you in her office now! It's very, very important!!"

The way the nun had been so hysterical was enough for them to know how urgent the matter was, and the four dashed for the head nun's office, the importance of the unknown ringing in their ears.

* * *

Rosette hummed cheerily, spinning the wheel to the left all of a sudden, causing the whole car to swerve sharply and throwing Azmaria out of her seat with a squeal. Chrno blanched, and was gripping the edges of his seat so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The pupils of the two ruby orbs shrunk in fear as the blonde exorcist sang out, "This is gonna be one heck of an exciiiiting -"

" Rosette?" Chrno cut in suddenly through much gritted teeth (and fangs), "Could you PLEASE keep your eyes on the road?!"

Behind the many reports Sister Kate handed to them, Astral rolled her eyes. Despite the endless sudden-swerving and near-death-crashes, she managed to remain oh so calm and composed, settling herself snugly in her seat, ignoring Azmaria as she once more tumbled out of her seat beside her. Astral glanced back down at the many papers in her hand, and blinked at a single word in black and white as it gazed back up at her.

"We're supposed to do the mission undercover?"

"Yep," replied Rosette happily, whirling the wheel in clockwise direction as she did so.

"Something about being under the guise of a family and such…"

As her mouth moved to form a perfect "o", Astral's face split into an evil grin and she lifted a delicate hand to hide it. _Should I or should I not?_

In the end, like always, she decided to push her luck.

"Why not you be the 'Mommy' and Chrno be the 'Daddy'? Azmaria and I can easily pass off as sisters…"

With a cry of "WHAT?!" Rosette grabbed the back of her seat and spun around to glare at Astral, cheeks flaming red.

"Chrno looks like he's only twelve!" she cried, jabbing a finger at the demon who at once lunged for the unattended wheel. "How are we supposed to –"

"Rosette!"

It was Chrno, and his face, noted Astral with some amusement, had turned a peculiar shade of green. It was then that a new sound pierced the air. It was soft… far too soft for humans to hear, but with her demon instincts, she could.

Her ear twitched. She smiled faintly.

"What?!" snapped the fiery teen, a vein throbbing at her temple.

"Hurry and attend to the wheel! I don't have a driving license!"

"Aren't you doing alright right now?!"

"That's not it! The traffic police are following us!"

Pause. Blink blink.

"Eeeeeeeyaaah! Outta my way, outta my way!"

In her haste to shove Chrno out of the driver's seat, Rosette accidentally jammed her foot on the accelerator, and the automobile shot off faster than the eye could catch towards the horizon as the Sun begin to set.

* * *

A/N: I know this is kinda short…but…::Shrugs:: I dunno…maybe if I get more reviews, I'd get my motivation back? ... Now that I think about it, the chap is pretty corny... 


	7. Utopias

Crusaders of love and lust 7– Fiasco

A/N: Ha! Finally got this updated... sorry for the long wait, folks!

* * *

"Never again…" he groaned, collapsing on the grass as soon as he stumbled out of the car. "Never again, I tell you. I swear that shortened my lifespan."

Rosette simply leaned against the car and snorted.

"You're a demon, Chrno. You ought to have more stamina!"

Astral couldn't help rolling her eyes in exasperation as Chrno gave an indignant retort. Muttering something about "them acting their age", Astral quickly stowed the documents into the bag slung over her shoulder and pried Azmaria from the smoking lump of metal which, moments before, had been their car. She was extremely appalled at how…uh… 'calm' they were ( Astral gave a sideway glance, only to see that the duo had engaged in a heated argument) now that their car was ruined and that they had no means of transport, seeing that they were stuck in the middle-of-nowhere. Astral paused, contemplating. "You know, she started slowly, "if we were to want to – "

" – Darn you, Chrno!" yelled Rosette, pouncing upon a certain demon sporting a purple braid, blinded with fury.

Shouts of protests soon followed, then squeaks of worry (Azmaria), and plenty of shrill insults which would make a sailor blush.

A blazing vermillion eye twitched.

Seconds later, both the demon and the nun found themselves wincing in pain as they nursed equally large bumps over the noggin. Azmaria simply stood there, torn between worry for her friends and awe at how fast it all happened; whereas Astral, dusting her hands, had an expression of utter irritance etched across her face.

"As I was saying," Astral continued in a voice of strained sweetness, which caused flinches all around, "To continue our journey, I'd say we hitch a ride from a passerby. And by…err…certain sources of mine, I found out that a young lady by the name of," obsidian eyes flickered over to a piece of paper in her hand, "**Satella Harvenheit** will be passing by us soon. Would you like to – what is wrong with you people?"

For the colour of Chrno's face had turned to that of Very White as he took a hesitant step away from Rosette, who had a rather pronounced anger vein throbbing at her temple, her fist clenching and unclenching as a low growl escaped her lips. Azmaria managed a nervous smile.

Ameyst orbs now curious instead of furious, Astral's gaze flitted from one comrade to another, her brain reeling to put two and two together.

And of course, with Astral being Astral, it wasn't all that long that she did.

With an expression of dawning comprehension spreading across her face, Astral, catching sight of the looks on the other's faces, hastily turned her laugh into a hacking cough.

Her shoulders shaking with suppressed mirth, Astral smirked just as she turned her back on them.

"Well then, I suppose that leaves us with only one option…"

A few moments later, Rosette all but flung herself to the floor in exhaustion.

"You…," she choked out through her wheezes, her entire tone throbbing with accusation as she raised a quivering finger at Astral who kept her back firmly to the exorcist. "Are you insane?!"

Astral shrugged as she suddenly became rather interested in her fingernails. "Hey, you were the one who didn't want to hitch a ride from the jewel witch…"

"THAT WAS NO REASON TO MAKE US WALK THE ENTIRE 50 MILES!"

Chrno sighed as his legs buckled beneath him. Even it was too much for him to handle. His eyebrows knitted together as he rubbed at his temples, feeling a migraine on its way. And the hundred pound baggage on his back wasn't helping, nor was the one-sided shouting match between Rosette and Astral. Azmaria patted his back, a concerned expression fleeting across the smooth features of her face before turning into that of suspicion as she glanced around the village. She rose, her usually wide, innocent eyes now alert and wary of danger as she surveyed her surroundings.

It was quiet…far too quiet. Was it normal for a village to be this way? Even if it WAS supposed to be rather isolated…An odd chill ran down the apostle's spine, and she could feel a queer tingle at her finger tips. She glanced into a dark alley way and gave a small shudder against her will as she thought she saw a movement stir within the shadows. It was all her imagination…all her imagination…

…Or was it?

"Boo…"

Azmaria let out a shrill scream of shock at the sudden soft voice whispered into her ear from behind. Astral rolled her eyes.

"You seriously got to be more attentive," she muttered, shoving her hands into her pockets. Her face contorted in a frown, she shifted her glare to the sign stabbed into the earth.

_Utopias…_

"So," said Rosette, peering over her shoulder. Apparently, she had forgotten about the previous tiff entirely. "This was where The Happenings were sighted?"

Behind her, Chrno nodded grimly, his crimson gaze fixed intently upon the signpost. By then, Astral had clenched a fistful of her satin dress so tightly that a wine-coloured substance started to seep through the velvety material.

Too bad none of them noticed.


End file.
